Here is trick that was taught to me by a 125 lb journeyman. Anyone can bend stub 90's on 1 1/4 using it.
-Find a solid corner where 2 walls meet.
-Place the far end of the conduit(opposite the bender) up against one wall and parallel to the other.
-The hardest part is getting the bend started.
-Steady yourself with your arm on the wall and then let go while thrusting and pushing down on the foot pedal.
-Once you get the bend to 30 degrees it gets a lot easier.
-Now....forget bending it like a piece of 1/2 inch and try the unconventional way.
-Turn your body around(not the conduit)180 degrees with the bender handle between your legs.
-Again steady yourself on the wall then let go a push DOWN on the handle while pushing on the pedal with BOTH feet.(It will look like you are standing on a pogo stick)
-I promise with ALL your body weight plus the push from your arms the 90 will appear in no time.
This method also saves energy on stub 1 inches as well.
Hope this all made sense.
